The invention relates generally to an ingredient, apparatus and method for the production of high moisture food items, and in particular, to an apparatus and process for incorporating rice-stabilized water into food items including cheese and sausage.
Interest in reduced and low fat foods that nevertheless maintain the mouth feel, and texture of the original foods has led to interest in replacing fat with fat mimetics and increasing the moisture content of these foods so as to dilute fat with water.
The simple introduction of additional water to most products is not successful because of problems of product rheology, water release in storage and changed functionality. For these reasons, gums may be added to stabilize or bind the water in the product. The introduction of substantial amounts of gum may make a product less appealing and some consumers may avoid products with gums in favor of what is considered more xe2x80x9cnaturalxe2x80x9d ingredients.
The parent application to the present case describes a method of making of low fat pasta filata cheese by incorporating a water-rice mixture into the cheese at the kneading stage. It was found that this rice mixture allowed significant amounts of moisture to be added to cheese, thereby diluting fat, without adversely affecting the texture for which such cheeses including mozzarella cheese are prized.
The inventors have since discovered that the rice mixture may be used to significantly increase the water content of a variety of foods, not only pasta filata cheeses, but also other cheese and cheese products, sausages and the like. By incorporating and stabilizing water, the food retains its functionality, flavor and texture with reduced fat on a wet basis.
The present invention provides a commercially practical method of high percentage augmentation of the moisture in food products. The invention combines rice grains and heated water and subjects the mixture to high shear to liquefy it without substantial release of water. This mixture is added to the desired food product while in liquefied form.
Although the inventors do not wish to be bound by a particular theory, this high shear method of producing a liquefied rice mixture is believed to preserve the structure of rice necessary to its water holding capacity. Further, this method is readily adapted to large process volumes and may use low cost rice as opposed to more expensive rice flours.
Specifically then, the present invention provides a method of manufacturing an augmented moisture food product using the steps of combining rice grains and heated water in a ratio allowing substantially complete absorption of the water within the rice grains. The mixture is then subjected to a high shear to liquefy the mixture without substantial release of water from the rice and then combined with the low moisture food ingredient.
Thus, it is one object of the invention to provide a natural and low cost method of stabilizing water to be introduced into food products to reduce their fat content or for other purposes.
The step of shearing the mixture of rice may include circulating the rice and water in a vessel with a high shear mixer and pumping the rice and water through a shear pump.
Thus, it is another object of the invention to provide a method of on-site preparation of a rice blend that is amenable to processes where occasional storage and transfer is required. The shear pump may recirculate the rice mixture to keep it liquefied and may be used to easily transport the rice mixture through standard pipes in liquefied form to where it will be needed.
The vessel may have heated walls and the method may include the step of scraping the inner surface of the walls of the heated vessel during the processing of the rice mixture. Thus, it is another object of the invention to provide for a simplified preparation of the rice mixture in a single vessel.
The food ingredient to which the rice mixture is added may be pasta filata cheese, other cheese and cheese products, or sausage meat.
Thus, it is another object of the invention to provide a general purpose, natural food substitute that may be used in a variety of products.
The rice grains and water may stand in the ratio of substantially one to two by weight.
Thus, it is another object of the invention to provide for extremely high water capacity in the rice mixture.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In the description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment does not necessary represent the full scope of the invention, however, and reference must be made to the claims herein for interpreting the scope of the invention.